Suturis et Risum
by MidnightDawn999
Summary: Commander Cody is wounded off world by Asajj Ventress. Obi-Wan visits him in the medical center. (Written with Rubblestrength)
**A/N: So Rubblestrength and I keep getting very, very distracted. *Laughs***

The mission had gone far from 'well'. Anakin trekked down the hallway, his footsteps echoing off of the walls. He scowled, clenching his fists. He had to find Obi-Wan, wherever he was. Whenever he was actually looking for the man, he never seemed to be around.

The young Jedi had returned from Ecalp with the 212th and 501st. Ahsoka had joined Plo on another mission, and Obi-Wan's presence had been requested by the council. He had been the only Jedi there; and he was responsible for what had happened. He wasn't sure where his old master was, and he'd been searching for several minutes; and those minutes were beginning to feel like hours. "Come on, Obi-Wan," he grumbled through clenched teeth, striding through another long corridor.

Obi-Wan wasn't going to be happy when he heard.

Just then, Obi-Wan turned out of a door just on the end of the hall, nearly plowing into this former padawan. "Anakin!" He exclaimed, eyes widening for a moment. "I see you made it back in one piece."

"Yeah," Anakin snapped perhaps a bit too quickly. He sighed and rubbed a hand on his forehead. "Ventress was there."

"Ventress?" Obi-Wan shook his head. The assassin - Dooku's apprentice - was highly skilled. He could sense the tension coming from Anakin... it made he himself feel uneasy. "Anakin?"

"We lost a lot of good men, and... Commander Cody..." Anakin paused and sighed, wondering how to explain.

"What?" Obi-Wan's tone was sharp and his eyes couldn't have gotten any wider. He took a step toward Anakin. "Did Ventress k..." he stopped, trying to pull himself back-to remain calm as all Jedi were supposed to...

"What? No!" Anakin put a mechanical hand up, "He's alive. Ventress stabbed him; he's in the med bay."

Obi-Wan visibly deflated. "You could've led with that, Anakin!" he scolded.

Anakin smirked. At least he didn't seem angry. "I'm sorry, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan shook his head and held up a hand. "Cody was doing his job, Anakin. Now, which medical center?" he asked.

Anakin told him the medical center, and where it was. He had to brief the rest of the council, and depending on their conclusion, there was a chance he would end up organizing another attack against Ventress.

Obi-Wan nodded, turned and strode away, calling back a hurried, "May the Force be with you," though he didn't wait for an answer, or turn back around. The Jedi master walked quickly through the halls, directing himself toward the med bay Anakin had indicated. As he walked, Obi-Wan tried to keep his mind on the present... not on the future-what he might see. Surely it couldn't have been that bad... then again, Cody was in the med bay. It was bad. He cringed.

After what felt like a far longer walk than he remembered it being, Obi-Wan reached the door. Almost instantly, one of the medical staff approached him.

"How can I help you, Master Kenobi?" the smiling woman asked him.

"I've come to check on my commander, Cody?"

The woman looked confused. "I'm sorry?"

Obi-Wan frowned slightly, bristling as he realized what was wrong. "CC-2224."

"Oh, yes..." the nurse checked a datapad, then looked up and pointed Obi-Wan in the right direction. "Room 131, last door on the right, down that hall."

"Thank you," Obi-Wan bowed slightly, then turned and headed down the hall, keeping his pace to a "dignified" walk - rather than running like a mad Ewok - so as not to appear to desperate. Finally, he reached 131. He let himself in, surprised by how dim the lights were. Likely set that way for a reason. The Jedi strode forward quietly, halting when he stood only a yard away.

Obi-Wan inhaled sharply. His expression tightened into one of pain as he sensed Cody's own pain. Obi-Wan walked forward, pulled up a chair, and sat quietly. He stared in something akin to disbelief. In the few years he'd worked with Cody, he'd never seen him like this... Pale; so still Obi-Wan could barely see the slow rise and fall of his chest-which was wrapped in white bandages... A jagged, bruising cut ran from above his left eye, half-way down his face, and curved in. Obi-Wan didn't need to be a medical expert to know it would scar. He sighed...

"Oh, Cody..." If he'd known this would happen, he'd have come along as well. Maybe then, he could've prevented this. Obi-Wan reached forward, gently resting a hand on Cody's shoulder. He was cold to the touch. Obi-Wan knew it shouldn't surprise him, but it did, nonetheless.

Cody's hand moved out, the motion sluggish - he gripped Obi-Wan's wrist, his hand trembling as he did so. Brown eyes opened to slits, peering at the newcomer. His grip loosened even more until his hand fell back to the bed. He took a small, shuddering breath, the exhale sounded even more wheezing than the inhale.

Obi-Wan looked up in surprise. He'd not known Cody was awake... and he hadn't meant to wake him if he wasn't. "I'm sorry," Obi-Wan spoke, barely a whisper. "You'll be all right," he added.

"...My men, sir?"

"I'll check on them when I leave. I only just learned you were back." Obi-Wan wore an expression of concern. He knew he wasn't supposed to form attachments, least of all to the men who served under him. Still, he couldn't help if he hated seeing them in pain. They-especially Cody-were his friends.

"Thank you, sir." Cody groaned, pulling his arms back and attempting to push himself into a sitting position. His expression twisted in pain.

"Don't try to move... Light-saber wounds are not to be taken lightly." Obi-Wan pushed him back gently. "You were lucky... though I'm sure it doesn't feel that way," Obi-Wan smiled wryly.

"It's a new one for me," Cody half-joked. He sank back down. "Is General Skywalker all right?"

"Yes, he's quite all right. Always manages to scrape by without getting himself killed... though I don't doubt his survival is due in part to you and your brothers," Obi-Wan stated, blue eyes shining brightly as he spoke.

"Always a pleasure, sir." Cody coughed, and once he started, it seemed impossible to stop. He turned his head and coughed into a fist, gripping the blankets beneath him with his other hand. Pain threatened to starve him of air.

Obi-Wan frowned, wishing there was more he could do then just be there. He felt rather useless, sitting by with no ability to actually help. "If you need something for the pain, I could call the medic..."

"I'm okay, General." Cody's eyes were pinched shut. He tried to steady his breathing despite the vague burning sensation in his lungs that he was left with.

"Hardly..." Obi-Wan disagreed. The man was two-shades paler than he normally was. But Obi-Wan knew better than to argue. Clones were stubborn.

The Commander sighed. "How long will I be out of commission, sir?" Commission. He frowned. That was a term for a ship, not a man. He pressed a hand against his closed eyes.

"How long will you be under medical leave?" Obi-Wan seemed to notice the word as well, correcting it to his own liking. "I haven't the slightest idea. As long as it takes for you to heal. I'm no doctor, and I'd hesitate to guess wrong."

"...Okay. Was General Skywalker able to apprehend Ventress?" There were a few other names that came to mind, but he settled for the less R rated of them all.

"Sadly... no. He's gone to petition the Council for a second chance at apprehending her."

Cody squinted up at the dim light. He could feel the drugs again - they would come through the line every once in a while. He had let himself slip into unconsciousness the times before, but now he fought against it. "Will you go with him?"

"I'm not sure the Council will sanction his request... but if they do, I will go if the Council sends me." Obi-Wan hesitated. "But I wouldn't want to head off too quickly... I'd be missing my commander." He smirked.

Cody laughed a quiet, dry sound. The drugs were pushing the pain to the back of his mind, not to mention making his head feel lighter. "Wow," he mumbled.

Obi-Wan quirked an eye-brow. "Wow" was not generally one of the commanders words. Obi-Wan smiled. The drugs must be affecting him. "Feeling any better?"

"Oh, yes." Cody held a shaking hand in front of his face and chuckled. "Obi-Wan," he spoke, saying it several different ways as though trying to make it sound 'right'.

Obi-Wan grinned, shaking his head as Cody pronounced his name in a spectacular fashion, something like, "Obee-Wun." He couldn't help but feel slightly amused. "Yes, Cody?" He asked, voice soft as though talking to a child who was trying to get his attention.

Cody laughed again, rolling the back of his head against the pillow until he was looking at the Jedi. The man looked strange; fuzzy and sideways and wrong. "Nice beard, sir. Sir Obi-Wan..."

"It is, isn't it?" Obi-Wan asked, still beaming. He was suddenly struck by how childish Cody's eyes were in that moment. It was easy to forget that he was technically only eleven years old... It never seemed that way; except in rare, strange moments like these.

Cody's voice pitched considerably higher than it normally was as, in a hushed voice, he said something that could have resembled 'weee...' There was something in the back of his mind that told him to shut up, but it was too murky to be prominent, and he was too high to care.

Obi-Wan chuckled softly. "Glad you're feeling better, my friend."

"Ah, friend?" Cody grinned, brown eyes gleaming. "Yes, you are my friend."

"Glad to hear it, Cody." Obi-Wan lightly squeezed the soldier's shoulder, still looking into soft brown eyes.

Cody gripped the Jedi's arm in return. "Will you still be here, sir?" he asked, as though he had spoken an entire sentence prior to that one.

Obi-Wan hesitated a moment. He was confused for the briefest of moments, then he nodded. "If you want."

"Yes, want I do." A smile lit up on his face, "Master Yoda," he laughed.

"Cody!" Obi-Wan scolded softly, grinning even then. He knew the man would regret his silly antics when the drugs wore off, but Obi-Wan wasn't going to stop him. Let him be at peace. Let him enjoy a moment without his thoughts revolving around war. Let him; because he deserved rest as much as anyone else.

The clone looked oddly sheepish. "Sorry, General." He paused for a moment, "You're smiling."

"Indeed, I am. As are you... an expression I wouldn't mind seeing more of," Obi-Wan stated.

Cody gave a quaking salute. His eyelids drooped, but still the smile stayed on his face; a rather odd expression.

"Rest, Cody..." Obi-Wan would check on Cody's men, and be there when he woke up; just as he promised.

 **See what I mean, very, very distracted... *Dutifully goes back to writing the chapter fic* Gramercy for reading, and God bless!**


End file.
